The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

Name: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Released: 1972

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

power dynamics unrequited love class hierarchy obsession emotional manipulation

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Synopsis

Petra von Kant is a successful fashion designer -- arrogant, caustic, and self-satisfied. She mistreats Marlene (her secretary, maid, and co-designer). Enter Karin, a 23-year-old beauty who wants to be a model. Petra falls in love with Karin and invites her to move in.

Cinema Atlas Connection

When I first started talking about *Far From Heaven*, I talked about *Petra von Kant* as the reference point for the idea of a completely contained stage space.

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This Film Influenced

→ Talk to Her (2002)